Roland actually coloured, and stooped to scrape a cigar light on his heel, and to change the subject said:
'I saw Jack Elliot of ours for a few minutes at his club in Edinburgh.'
'Dear Jack! and how is he looking?'
'Well and jolly as usual; unluckily his leave is shorter than mine, yet I hope to keep him here till the pheasants are ready.'
'Darling Roland—how good of you!' exclaimed his sister, kissing him again.
'You and he expect your little affair to come off when——'
'When the regiment returns home—I could not go out to Egypt, you know, Roland.'
'Worse than useless, when we may be moving towards the frontier again.'
'In her last letter to me Annot Drummond seemed full of Egypt, and Egypt only.'
'She has a lover out there, perhaps—or going,' said Roland, laughing.